We studied the functional neuroanatomy of social behaviour in velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS) using a facial emotional processing task and functional magnetic resonance imaging in adults with this syndrome and controls matched for age and IQ. The VCFS group had less activation in the right insula and frontal brain regions and more activation in occipital regions. Genetically determined abnor...

M owat et al in 1998 delineated a new syndrome characterised by a distinct facial phenotype, Hirschsprung disease (HSCR), microcephaly, and mental retardation; they also identified a locus at chromosome 2q21-q23. The six children described were sporadic cases, and the authors suggested a contiguous gene syndrome or a dominant single gene disorder. Three further sporadic cases published earlier ...

Using an adaptation of the Attentional Networks Test, we investigated aspects of executive control in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (DS22q11.2), a common but not well understood disorder that produces non-verbal cognitive deficits and a marked incidence of psychopathology. The data revealed that children with DS22q11.2 demonstrated greater difficulty than controls in locati...

One of the defining cognitive characteristics of the chromosome 22q deletion syndrome (DS22q11.2) is visuospatial processing impairments. The purpose of this study was to investigate and extend the specific attentional profile of children with this disorder using both an object-based attention task and an inhibition of return task. A group of children with the disorder was compared in these tas...

OBJECTIVE To examine motor function in children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2) and a Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) comparable control group. STUDY DESIGN This study was part of a prospective study of neuropsychological function in children 9 to 15 years of age with 22q11.2 and community control subjects and included children from these two populations with comparable FSIQs. RESULTS Verbal ...

Microdeletions/-duplications in the 22q11 region cause a variety of disorders, including DiGeorge syndrome (DGS; MIM 188400), velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS; MIM 192430) and cat eye syndrome (CES; MIM 115470). DGS and VCFS have a large clinical overlap and are both caused by deletions of a specific 1-3 Mb region on chromosome 22q11. The overall birth prevalence of 22q11 deletions appears to be...

INTRODUCTION The DiGeorge Syndrome was first described in 1968 as a primary immunodeficiency resulting from the abnormal development of the third and fourth pharyngeal pouches during embryonic life. It is characterized by hypocalcemia due to hypoparathyroidism, heart defects, and thymic hypoplasia or aplasia. Its incidence is 1:3000 live births and, despite its high frequency, little is known a...